Department for Transport

High Speed Two Railway Line

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been of consultants working on High Speed 2.

Andrew Jones: HS2 Ltd element of consultancy expenditure, as defined by the Cabinet Office, is not readily available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. As defined by the Cabinet Office, the Department for Transport (High Speed Rail Group) expenditure on consultancy (i.e. provision of advice) on High Speed 2 for the period April 2011 to March 2016 was £29.7m.

High Speed Two Railway Line

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of High Speed 2.

Andrew Jones: The Spending Review in late 2015 agreed a funding envelope of £55.7 billion (2015 prices) for the delivery of High Speed 2 (HS2). I am committed to managing the cost of HS2 and ensuring maximum value for the taxpayer, and delivering within the funding available.

Driving under Influence

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications of his policies of the Public Health England report, The Public Health Burden of Alcohol and the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies: An evidence review, published in December 2016, which found that designated driver schemes did not change the prevalence of people drink driving or riding with a drink driver.

Andrew Jones: The findings of the evidence review of designated driver schemes were inconclusive. However, the Department’s THINK! road safety campaign works with commercial brands to reward designated drivers with free soft drinks. Feedback to this campaign has been positive so we will continue to use this approach whilst monitoring for any research in to the effectiveness of the designated driver messaging.

Driving under Influence: Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Public Health England report, The Public Health Burden of Alcohol and the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies: An evidence review, published in December 2016, which found that graduated driving licences for young drivers were effective; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: It is important that we strike the right balance between the safety and the freedom of young drivers. Many rely on their cars to get to work and education; so licensing restrictions could affect their ability to access these opportunities. Instead, we’re focussing our efforts on encouraging learner drivers to be better prepared for the wonderful freedoms a driving licence offers, but without compromising on safety, which is at the heart of what we do.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Energy: Conservation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the terms of reference for the review of the cost-effectiveness of current energy performance standards mentioned in Fixing our broken housing market, Cm 9352, Paragraph 150.

Gavin Barwell: The Department has commenced cost analysis to underpin the review looking at the cost effectiveness of current energy performance standards for new homes. We will set out more information about our approach in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

USA: Foreign Relations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 61335, when he plans to meet the US Secretary of State; and whether he plans to discuss international climate change cooperation at their first meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign Secretary, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip had an introductory call with the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on 3 February. They reaffirmed our shared goals and agreed to work together on solutions to global issues. They expect to meet at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bonn on 16-17 February.

Guyana: Public Appointments

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations from (a) parliamentarians and (b) the public on the appointment of a new chair of the Guyanese Election Commission.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received representations from both parliamentarians and the public on this matter. I refer the member for Hornsey and Wood Green to the answer given by The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. the Baroness Anelay of St Johns to question HL 5087 on 6 February.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his assessment is of the current state of basic freedoms, the rule of law and democracy in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: We assess that the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework established by the Sino-British Joint Declaration continues to function well in the vast majority of areas. Basic freedoms and the rule of law are key elements of this framework. We have highlighted in six-monthly reports from the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) to the House those areas where challenges have arisen or on which we have had concerns. The Government raises such concerns with the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments. On political reform, the UK continues to encourage all parties to play their part in rebuilding constructive dialogue to pave the way for the resumption of the political reform process at the earliest opportunity.

Hong Kong: Treaties

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will review the effectiveness of the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Alok Sharma: ​The Government continues to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, including through six-monthly reports to Parliament by the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson). These six-monthly reports reflect the Government's continuing interest in developments in Hong Kong and our ongoing commitment to the faithful implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to fulfil the Government's obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration to monitor and speak out for basic freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Alok Sharma: I refer my Hon. Friend to my answer of 1 February 2017 (PQ 61986).The six-monthly reports submitted to the House by the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) reflect the Government's continuing interest in developments in Hong Kong and our commitment to the faithful implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary discussed the importance of maintaining confidence in 'One Country, Two Systems' with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi at the UK–China Strategic Dialogue in London on 20 December, which I also attended. I also discussed Hong Kong issues with the Chinese Ambassador on 9 February.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Hong Kong Government regarding (a) legal challenges against democratically elected legislators Nathan Law, Edward Yiu, Lau Siu-lai and Leung Kwok-hung and (b) rulings regarding Yau Wai-Chung and Sixtus Heung; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: On 7 November 2016, after the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) issued an interpretation of the Basic Law before the conclusion of related judicial proceedings in Hong Kong, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office released a statement. We expressed concern at recent developments in the Legislative Council. While we recognised the NPCSC's authority to interpret the Basic Law, we were concerned by its decision to issue an opinion at that time. We urged the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments, and all elected politicians, to refrain from any actions that fuelled concerns or undermined confidence in the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle.The Hong Kong Courts subsequently reached a decision on the cases of Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung on the basis of Hong Kong's legal framework. We respect this decision.The other ongoing legal cases referred to are a matter for the Hong Kong Courts.

Ukraine: Armed Forces

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Ukrainian Government to finance ongoing military operations in the east of that country; what reports he has received of shortfalls in salary payments to members of the Ukrainian armed forces; and what discussions he has had with his Ukrainian counterpart on those issues.

Boris Johnson: The financing of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is a matter for the Ukrainian Government, though I would note ​that the Ukrainian Government has allocated the equivalent of 5% of its GDP for defence and security purposes in the 2017 budget and that Ukrainian armed forces received a significant increase to their pay package and terms of service which took effect in December last year. This is not an issue on which I have corresponded with Foreign Minister Klimkin; neither have concerns been raised by contacts of our Embassy in Kyiv about shortfalls in salary payments. The UK is providing practical support to the training of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in defensive, non-escalatory skills, such as first aid.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Ukraine and (d) Russia on progress made in meetings under the Normandy Format; when he expects the roadmap, announced by the group in October 2016, to be published; and what steps he is taking to help facilitate this process.

Boris Johnson: We continue to fully support the French and German-led diplomatic efforts towards securing the implementation by all parties of the Minsk Agreements. We are in regular contact at all levels to discuss progress. This was most recently discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in February.The roadmap is still under discussion in the Normandy Format meetings. The UK stands ready to support implementation of the Minsk agreements in any way it can.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the conflict in Ukraine.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the conflict in Ukraine.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterparts on the conflict in Ukraine.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ukrainian counterparts on the conflict in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) regularly discusses the situation in Ukraine with his international counterparts in Ukraine, Russia, the USA, EU and elsewhere. Recent conversations have included a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin on 31 January, in which they discussed the escalation of violence in Avdiivka and the steps being taken by Ukraine to manage the humanitarian situation; a discussion at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 6 February; and engagement with his Russian opposite number. Ukraine and Russia were also topics of conversation during the Prime Minister's meeting with President Trump in Washington in January this year.

Ukraine: Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on alleged human rights abuses committed by (a) armed militias and (b) Ukrainian Government troops in eastern Ukraine.

Boris Johnson: Allegations of arbitrary detentions, torture and enforced disappearance have been made against all sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We have called publicly for all sides to ensure that any such violations and abuses cease. We welcome the actions taken so far by the Ukrainian government in bringing to justice perpetrators of conflict-related human rights abuses, but there is still much more to do. We remain very concerned about the lack of accountability and access for human rights bodies to separatist-controlled territories.

Ukraine: Corruption

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support efforts by the Government of Ukraine to tackle official corruption; and what assessment he has made of the progress of such efforts.

Boris Johnson: ​We have provided strong political and practical support to efforts by the Ukrainian Government to tackle corruption. UK support has included financial and capacity-building for new institutions such as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and technical expertise for the launch of the Asset Declaration System for public officials. We welcome the commitments made by the Ukrainian government to tackle corruption at the London Anti-Corruption Summit in 2016.

Kenya: Farms and Housing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Kenya on the incidence of home and farm seizures in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Kenya are monitoring the situation closely, and are in regular contact with British nationals affected. Our High Commissioner continues to raise the issue at the highest levels of Kenyan Government, including with the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, the Inspector General of Police, and most recently the Laikipia County Governor. He visited Laikipia in December, when he met with British nationals to discuss their concerns.The FCO continue to place the safety and security of British nationals at the heart of our activity. We are also working closely with other Embassies to provide a coordinated response for our respective nationals in the area, and stand ready to offer further consular assistance if required.

Ukraine: EU External Relations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Dutch counterpart on implementation of the EU's Association Agreement with Ukraine; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for ratification of that agreement by the Netherlands.

Boris Johnson: The Dutch referendum result is a matter for the Dutch government and parliament. At the end of last year, the December European Council agreed a solution proposed by the Dutch Prime Minister to pave the way for ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in the Netherlands. This seeks to respect the April 2016 Dutch referendum result in a way which is acceptable to the Dutch parliament and the 27 other EU Member States who have already ratified the Agreement, and which will allow ratification of the Agreement to proceed.

Ukraine: EU External Relations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the EU's Association Agreement with Ukraine on the prospects for economic growth in that country.

Boris Johnson: The UK continues to support the full application of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which creates the conditions for closer relations between the EU and Ukraine and enables Ukraine to benefit from trade access to the EU, technical assistance and regular political dialogues.We continue to give our unreserved support to the full provisional application of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) which began on 1 January 2016. This includes work to support Ukraine against the punitive trade restrictions that Russia has disappointingly imposed in reaction to the DCFTA.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Governments of (a) Ukraine and (b) Russia in implementing their respective obligations under the Minsk agreements; and when he expects those agreements to be implemented in full.

Boris Johnson: ​Delivery of the Minsk agreements remains the key process for securing long-term peace and a restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty in eastern Ukraine. The UK continues to support French – and German – led diplomatic efforts towards supporting the implementation by all parties of their commitments under the Minsk agreements. The immediate priority is for putting in place an effective ceasefire, which will in turn create much more favourable conditions for the implementation of the remainder of the Minsk agreement.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Ukraine on the passage of political and constitutional reforms stipulated by the Minsk agreements.

Boris Johnson: The UK Government engages closely and regularly with the Government of Ukraine. I visited Kyiv in September 2016 and have held a number of bilateral meetings and phonecalls since, most recently speaking to Foreign Minister Klimkin on 31 January. The Ukrainian Government has the UK’s full support in its efforts to deliver the comprehensive programme of reforms needed to transform Ukraine into a stable, prosperous, modern state. These include its commitments under the Minsk agreements. The immediate priority is for putting in place an effective ceasefire, which will in turn create much more favourable conditions for implementation of the other aspects of the Minsk agreements.

Philippines: Homicide

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Filipino counterpart on extra-judicial killings in that country.

Alok Sharma: We are concerned by the rising death toll associated with the "war on illegal drugs" in the Philippines. We raised this issue at the last session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva in October. Most recently, I discussed our concerns with a range of interlocutors, including senior Government Ministers, during my visit to the Philippines in December. During that visit, I stressed the importance of finding alternative methods for reducing the harm caused by illegal drugs, such as through rehabilitation programmes. I offered UK support to achieve this goal. We will continue to urge the Philippine Government to take up this offer and we will continue to monitor events closely.Our view on the importance of the rule of law and due legal process is clear, consistent and well known in the Philippines. Our Embassy in Manila works closely with our EU partners and the UN in the Philippines on these issues, including through frequent contact with human rights groups.

Andargachew Tsege

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times (a) he and (b) the Minister for the Middle East and Africa have met representatives of Reprieve to discuss the case of Andargachew Tsege.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: FCO ministers and officials frequently meet representatives of Reprieve to discuss cases of British Nationals imprisoned abroad and wider lobbying around the death penalty. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) and I have not met with Reprieve specifically to discuss the case of Andargachew Tsege.The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously. The Secretary of State for International Development, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel), raised this case with the Ethiopian Prime Minister on 30 January, during her visit to Addis Ababa.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to make regular oral or written statements to the House on the situation in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I will update the House when any significant changes in Libya occur.

Crimea

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for a negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia on the status of Crimea.

Boris Johnson: The UK strongly condemns the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. This action by Russia was a flagrant breach of international law and a serious challenge to the international rules-based order. The UK remains a strong and principled supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Nepal: Christianity

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of Christians in Nepal.

Alok Sharma: The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Nepali Constitution of September 2015, but we have concerns regarding the interpretation of the proposed legislation on religious conversion. There have been some isolated reports of attacks on Christians and some cases where Christians have been arrested by the authorities; we continue to monitor the situation. There is no specific category for registration of religious organisations in Nepal, which therefore have to register as Non-Governmental Organisations.

Nepal: Christianity

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Nepal Government on permitting Christian non-governmental organisations to register and carry out humanitarian work unhindered in that country.

Alok Sharma: I have not personally made representations to the Nepal Government on permitting Christian Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to register and carry out humanitarian work, but our Embassy in Kathmandu has raised the issue of NGO operating space regularly with the Government of Nepal and will continue to do so. The former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Sir Hugo Swire), also raised the issue of operating problems encountered by NGOs with former Foreign Minister Thapa in July 2016.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion with his counterpart in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the last Joint Ministerial Council.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) the Minister for the Overseas Territories discussed the creation of public registers of beneficial ownership which name the owners of offshore companies with the Deputy Premier of Bermuda in the last six months.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion with his counterpart in the British Virgin Islands since the last Joint Ministerial Council.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion with his counterpart in Bermuda since the last Joint Ministerial Council.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion with his counterpart in Anguilla since the last Joint Ministerial Council.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Minister for the Overseas Territories (OTs), the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns who holds responsibility for these issues discussed the importance of implementing the bilateral arrangements concluded in April 2016 with OTs with financial centres to OT leaders at the Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations held in London on 7 February.

Montserrat: Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion with his counterpart in Montserrat since the last Joint Ministerial Council.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Minister for the Overseas Territories (OTs), the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns who holds responsibility for these issues, discussed the importance of implementing the bilateral arrangements concluded in April 2016 with OTs with financial centres to OT leaders at the Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations held in London on 7 February.

Fayez Sharary

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contact he has had with Fayez Sharary or his family since his detainment in Israel in September 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Both the British Embassy in Tel Aviv and British Consulate General in Jerusalem continue to provide consular assistance to Mr Sharary. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London has also been in regular contact with Mr Sharary's family since we were first made aware of his detention. We continue to closely monitor Mr Sharary's case and remain in contact with the local authorities.

Fayez Sharary

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the case of Fayez Sharary.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), has not discussed this particular case with the Israeli Foreign Minister. However, our Ambassador in Israel has raised Mr Sharary's case with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officials in country are in contact with the local authorities and continue to monitor the case closely.

West Bank: Israeli Settlements

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to meet his Israeli counterpart to discuss the retrospective legalisation of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), met the Prime Minister of Israel on Monday 6 February. They discussed the Middle East Peace Process and the UK’s firm commitment to a two state solution. On the 7 February I issued a statement condemning the passing of the Land Regularisation Bill and expressing concern that the bill paves the way for significant growth in settlements deep in the West Bank, threatening the viability of the two-state solution.

Colombia: Peace

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Colombian peace process.

Sir Alan Duncan: Significant progress has been made in implementing the peace deal since Congress approved the revised agreement in November. An Amnesty Law was passed on 28 December - an important step in the demobilisation of FARC members.More than 5,000 FARC members have moved to the Transition Zones in the last week, and have begun to disarm, monitored by the UN special Political Mission. The Colombian Ambassador reassured me on 7 February that this process is on track. However, significant logistical challenges remain and so we welcome news that the UN Mission is assisting the Colombian Government to speed up construction of accomodation and access to water. We also welcome President Santo's creation of a new 'inner cabinet' to improve coordination across government to support delivery of the peace agreement.The UK continues to support implementation of the peace agreement through our diplomatic, financial and technical assistance to peace-building, including advice from our experience in Northern Ireland. However, we are concerned by ongoing intimidation of human rights defenders (HRDs) by illegal armed groups and support the Government of Colombia's efforts to investigate attacks and bring those responsible to justice. We will continue to monitor the situation closelt and raise our concerns regarding individual cases with the Colombian Government and seek an update on plans to improve security in the affected areas.

Colombia: Visits Abroad

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) he or (b) the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas plans to visit Colombia in the near future.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary and I have met President Santos and a number of his Ministers in recent months. I hope to visit in due course.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Line of Contact; and what steps his Department is taking to deter violations of that requirement.

Boris Johnson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in regular contact with officials from the Organisation of Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) and its Special Monitoring Mission, with discussions addressing a range of issues, including the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Line of Contact. We and other EU member states regularly call attention to ceasefire violations and the requirements to withdraw heavy weapons. We continue to support the French – and German – led diplomatic efforts, in conjunction with the OSCE, towards securing the implementation by all parties of the Minsk agreement. But the immediate priority must be a full, comprehensive and sustained ceasefire.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine to fulfil its responsibilities under the Minsk agreements; and what steps he is taking to support that work.

Boris Johnson: The UK is a long standing supporter of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine. We are one of the largest contributors to the Mission’s budget, we have provided specialist training and support, and the size of the UK contingent in the Mission is second only to the US. We continue to support the French – and German – led diplomatic efforts, in conjunction with the OSCE, towards securing the implementation by all parties of the Minsk agreement, including provision of full and unhindered access in the conflict zone for the SMM.

Northern Ireland Office

USA: State Visits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications for Northern Ireland of a visit by President Trump; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The UK looks forward to welcoming the President to the UK later this year. The dates and arrangements for the state visit will be worked out in due course.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to fund pensions for those victims of terrorism identified by the Northern Ireland Victims' Commissioner as in need of such pensions; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Stormont House Agreement of December 2014 set out a number of measures for the Northern Ireland Executive to take forward that would support victims and survivors, including a pension. It is my hope that the Northern Ireland political parties can work together to deliver on the Stormont House Agreement that includes an acceptable way forward on the pension proposal. I will continue to engage with the political leaders in Northern Ireland to try to resolve this issue.

Attorney General

Plea Bargaining

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Attorney General, what information his Department holds on the number of plea bargains offered to defendants in England since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: All decisions by the prosecution are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors which sets out a Full Code Test that applies at all stages of any prosecution. In addition to the principles set out in the Code, a prosecutor considering a plea offered by the defence will have regard to the Attorney General's Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas and the Prosecutor's Role in the Sentencing Exercise [2009] and the Attorney General’s Guidelines on Plea Discussions in cases of serious or complex fraud (where appropriate). The Full Code Test states that a prosecution will only proceed if the prosecutor finds sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest. As such a prosecutor will assess the acceptability of a plea to determine whether it accords with the broad extent of the criminality that met the evidential stage of the Full Code test. If this stage is met the prosecutor will further consider whether it is in the public interest to accept the plea. In addition the prosecutor will ensure that the basis of a guilty plea is not based on a misleading or untrue set of facts and that proper account is taken of the victim's interests prior to any plea being accepted. The Code is clear that prosecutors should only accept such pleas if the court is able to pass a sentence that matches the seriousness of the offending. Neither the Crown Prosecution Service nor the Serious Fraud Office maintain a central record of cases involving the acceptance of a guilty plea to some or alternative charges, or whether they were accepted on a particular basis. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS or SFO case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Attorney General: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many security passes into the Law Officers' Departments are issued to people (a) not directly employed by and (b) who are not civil servants who work in the Law Officers' Departments.

Robert Buckland: The number of security passes issued to people not directly employed by the Law Officer’s Departments and who are not civil servants are shown in the table below. A breakdown of the staff and nature of work has been provided. Individual departments are responsible for managing access to their sites. Law Officer’s Department Security Passes Held by Non-Staff Type of Staff and Nature of Work. Serious Fraud Office 232Legal counsel, specialist contractors or secondees working on SFO casework: 210 Technology support or cleaning services: 22Government Legal Department and HMCPSI 328Medical Research Council: 272 London Continental Railways: 56Crown Prosecution Service82Facilities staff (building maintenance, cleaning, security): 40 IT contractors: 37 Records management contractors: 3 Confidential waste contractors: 2Attorney General's Office 15Advocate General, Legal Secretary & Head of Advisory: 3 Ministerial Drivers: 2 Maintenance, cleaning and security: 10

Phil Shiner

Sir Julian Brazier: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the CPS on the potential grounds for prosecuting Phil Shiner for his role in making false allegations against members of the Armed Forces and the misuse of public funds.

Robert Buckland: I regularly meet the Director of Public Prosecutions at which we discuss a range of issues. In common with the practice adopted by previous administrations, I do not routinely comment on what is discussed at these meetings.The conduct of criminal investigations is a matter for the police. Should the police wish to seek a charging decision from the CPS, the CPS will consider any papers supplied in accordance with the two stage test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors: firstly, is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, is a prosecution needed in the public interest.

Witnesses: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to ensure that the CPS deal sensitively with elderly witnesses who are afraid of giving evidence in court.

Robert Buckland: For elderly people who are vulnerable or intimidated, the CPS supports them as witnesses to give the best evidence that they can. The CPS does this by applying for special measures to, for example, allow them to give evidence by video link, or behind screens. The CPS can also apply for the use of an intermediary and/or communication aids to assist the witness. The CPS published a policy statement and guidance on prosecuting crimes against older people in 2009. The CPS has committed to updating both documents during 2017 to take into account the larger numbers of older people in society and changes to the nature of crime, such as on-line fraud targeting. The revised guidance and policy statement will address the support available to older victims of crime. The policy statement will be subject to a public consultation to ensure that the CPS considers the views of interested parties.

Department for Education

Free Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with which university vice-chancellors she has discussed opening new free schools; and what progress has been made on opening such schools.

Joseph Johnson: My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State has held meetings with vice chancellors and representative bodies, including Universities UK, as part of her engagement with the higher education sector on how it can step-up its involvement with schools, including through the establishment of Free Schools. The Government is currently considering responses to the Schools That Work For Everyone consultation and will respond in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special needs assessments were undertaken in each school in England in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Timpson: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

Universities: Hereford

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the funding of a university in Hereford.

Joseph Johnson: The planned New Model in Technology and Engineering University (NMiTE) for Hereford is currently under consideration.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Profession

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the financial contribution to the UK economy of law firms based elsewhere in the EU and operating in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Oliver Heald: English law has had a huge impact, spreading the rule of law around the world. It is the law of choice in over a quarter of jurisdictions. We will be championing our £25 billion legal services industry as a key part of post-Brexit global Britain. We are not aware of any reports that include aggregate data on the contribution that international, including EU, firms make to the UK economy. It may also be the case that firms do not separate out their UK income from their wider income, especially where they operate in a number of jurisdictions, or where work is spread across jurisdictions or provided across borders. English common law is the preferred choice for international commercial contracts, and English law governs about 40 per cent of all global corporate arbitrations.

Electronic Tagging

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 February 2016, HCWS549, what progress her Department has made on procuring new electronic monitoring based on satellite tracking technology; and what the costs of that procurement process have been to date.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The procurement for the supplier of the new Electronic Monitoring Tags is ongoing and we expect to confirm the outcome in due course.Since April 2016, the cost of procurement activity for the supplier of the new electronic monitoring tags has been £450,000.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the provision of housing legal aid advice in Wales.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government has ensured that legal aid for housing advice remains available for all cases in Wales which are in scope and where both the means and merits criteria are met. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) takes active steps to ensure adequate provision of housing advice around Wales, reviewing capacity and accessibility quarterly. At present all procurement areas within Wales have provision, but if issues are identified the LAA moves quickly to safeguard provision in specific localities, running tenders as appropriate to maintain continuity of service.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what dates the Government plans to (a) start and (b) end the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Sir Oliver Heald: We will begin reviewing the changes made by LASPO by submitting a post-legislative memorandum of LASPO as a whole to the Justice Select Committee in the coming months. This will provide an initial assessment of the extent to which LASPO met its objectives. We will then begin work on a more substantive review of the reforms of Part 1 and Part 2 LASPO. We are committed to completing this review by April 2018.

Immigration: Appeals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she last observed proceedings at a First-tier Immigration Tribunal.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Secretary of State for Justice has visited HM Courts & Tribunal Service operational venues in Central London, Norwich, Maidstone and Bristol. She plans to continue her programme of visits over the coming months.

Domestic Violence: Criminal Injuries Compensation

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of domestic violence received awards from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in 2016; what the average length of time was between application and receipt of such an award; and what the average value of such awards was.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested can be found in the table below.Victims of domestic abuse2016Number of victims who received an award234Average time taken between application and receipt of award612 daysAverage amount of award£7,497.74From 1 February 2015 it became mandatory to indicate the nature of the assault when applying for compensation. Previously, victims of domestic violence and others did not have to declare this information. The data provided therefore may not include all victims of domestic violence who received a payment of compensation from the CICA in 2016. This may also include those who suffered family violence.To ensure the application of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is as robust as possible there are safeguards built in. If any applicant disagrees with a decision they can apply for a review. If they remain unhappy they can appeal to an independent tribunal. The table above includes cases in which the award was paid after review and appeal.The minimum award a victim of domestic abuse can receive under the Scheme is £1,000. However, additional or higher injury awards may be made for disabling mental injuries, depending on the length of time that the applicant’s symptoms persist. In some complex cases, where medical treatment is ongoing or the level of recovery is unknown, it may be in the best interests of an applicant not to settle their claim until the long term implications of an injury can be properly assessed.During 2016 CICA revised its operating model and undertook a major recruitment exercise to help improve the efficiency of the service it provides to applicants. This included increasing its staff compliment by around 15 per cent since 31 March 2016, refining the online application process and developing its online customer portal.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden of 2 December 2016 on behalf of his constituent, William Dickinson of Cross Farm, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, on the issue of rural crime.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The response to the Rt Hon. Member's letter of 2 December 2016 was issued on 14 February 2017.

Offences against Children

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will commence section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government is committed to commencing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and will do so as soon as possible.

Law Reporting: Welsh Language

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will ensure the local provision of Welsh language transcription services in Wales once contracts have been awarded under the Framework and Contracts for the Provision of Transcription Services for Court Reporting and Transcription Services OJEU Prior Information Notice (ref: 2016/S 155-281276) tender.

Sir Oliver Heald: The detailed service specifications developed by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) for the future provision of court transcription services include a requirement to comply with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Welsh Language Scheme. As part of the tender evaluation process all bidders were required to demonstrate their understanding of the Welsh Language Act and their approach to incorporating the Welsh language requirements into their service model whilst maintaining specified quality and timeliness standards. Whilst it is for individual suppliers to determine their approach to delivering Welsh language services, all service providers will therefore be required to maintain the ability to deliver legal verbatim transcripts of hearings conducted in the Welsh language, at no additional cost to users, and have access to Welsh speaking staff with the appropriate security clearances as required.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she has taken to ensure that cost savings to consumers resulting from reforms to personal injury statutes are passed on to consumers by the insurance industry.

Sir Oliver Heald: Leading insurers have already publicly committed to pass on savings to consumers through lower premiums. Motor insurance is intensely competitive on price and insurance companies will have little choice but to pass on savings, or risk being priced out of the market. The government will, however, monitor the industry’s reaction to the reforms and will consider further action if required.

Law Reporting: Contracts

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) transcription of UK court and tribunal hearings will not be undertaken offshore, (b) UK transcription jobs and skills will be safeguarded and (c) safeguards are put in place to eliminate risk to national security following contracts being awarded as a result of the Framework and Contracts for the Provision of Transcription Services for Court Reporting and Transcription Services OJEU Prior Information Notice tender.

Sir Oliver Heald: Any proposal to send offshore transcription services under the Framework Agreement for the provision of Court Reporting and Transcription Services must comply with government guidance on the management of any additional security risks associated with the storage, processing or transmission of information offshore and takes account of current European Union requirements to confirm the adequacy of legislated protection of personal information in the country where storage or data processing occurs. No element of the services supplied under the Framework Agreement can be sent offshore without the express written permission of the relevant Senior Information Responsible Officer (SIRO). Any request to send offshore parts of the service would be subject to a stringent consideration of the implications in terms of national security, data security and any broader risks and benefits.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Firearms

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the SA80 L85 A2's lifecycle.

Harriett Baldwin: The SA80 L85 A2 is a reliable, battle proven weapon suitable for worldwide operations.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much will accrue to the Exchequer from the decision not to increase benefit payments for four years.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the Member for Banff and Buchan to the impact assessment of the benefit rate freeze that was published alongside the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 - http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken in response to the National Audit Office's December report on the UK's benefit sanctions system; and if he will launch an independent review of the sanctions regime.

Damian Hinds: It is not normal practice to comment on any National Audit Office report where this is followed up by a Public Accounts Committee hearing. We are currently awaiting the Committee’s report following the Benefit Sanctions hearing held on 12 December 2016. Once their report is published, we will wait until HM Treasury formally commissions the Department’s official response to any comments and recommendations made by the committee. We anticipate the committee’s report to be published at the end of February 2017 and for the Treasury commission to be issued shortly afterwards.

Children: Maintenance

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the transition of child maintenance arrangements from 2017 on children and their parents.

Caroline Nokes: My Department considered the effect of case closure on children and their parents through a public consultation: “Supporting separated families; securing children’s futures” in July 2012. Our response to the consultation was published in November 2013. We have monitored the effects of case closure and the new statutory child maintenance scheme and published a research report on case closure in December 2016. We will continue to monitor the effects as the remaining cases are closed.

Children: Maintenance

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints his Department has received from people on the termination of their arrangements with the Child Support Agency.

Caroline Nokes: We do not routinely record information on the number of complaints received from people on the termination of their arrangements with the Child Support Agency.

Children: Maintenance

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who have child maintenance arrangements with the Child Support Agency have received letters on the termination of those arrangements with the Child Support Agency.

Caroline Nokes: Letters are issued when the liability on a case has ended. We have interpreted this question as the number of people who have been sent letters after they have had their liability ended. The total number of cases where liability has ended stood at 509,200 as of the end of September 2016. This can be found in Table 4.1 and 4.2 of the Case Closure Experimental Statistical publication which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-case-closures-june-2014-to-september-2016.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Overseas Trade: Agriculture and Environment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has commissioned on likely trends in the agricultural and environmental sectors' international trade once the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: We have not commissioned research on trends in international trade for agriculture and the environment. However, there are a number of international organisations which look at prospects for trade in agricultural goods, and we make use of this evidence in our own work. The OECD-FAO Medium-Term Outlook gives an authoritative overview of plausible future developments in international agricultural markets and conveys the importance of future demand from emerging economies.

Home Office

Travel Restrictions: USA

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the US Administration on its travel ban for refugees and nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Secretary spoke to General Kelly, Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, on 30 January to discuss a range of issues of mutual importance, including President Trump’s Executive Order on entry to the United States.The Home Secretary made clear the difficulties related to the Executive Order and gained Secretary Kelly’s confirmation that individuals travelling on British passports, including those who hold dual nationality, should be exempt from this Order.

Overseas Students: Scotland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many certificates of sponsorship were issued to Scottish employers for students switching from Tier 4 to Tier 2 visas in each year from 2011 to 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but this information is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to continue the implementation of section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 for the rest of the current Parliament.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Under the Immigration Act we made a commitment to transfer a specified number of unaccompanied refugee children to the UK, following consultation with local authorities on capacity.On 8 February, the Government announced that we will transfer the specified number of 350 children to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act. This includes the more than 200 children already transferred from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance.We will announce in due course the basis on which further children will be transferred from Europe to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act to the specified number.

Hate Crime: Convictions

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) online and (b) non-cyber harassment and hate crimes resulted in a conviction in the last year for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for data on convictions. The Ministry of Justice has informed us that the information requested is not centrally held.

Cybercrime

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of online fraud and other forms of cybercrime was reported to the police in each of the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office collects data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) on the number of recorded fraud offences in England and Wales, including offences recorded under the Computer Misuse Act.These data, which are published by the ONS, are available on their website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice#datasets (see ‘Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables’ – Table A4). The Home Office does not hold information on the number of recorded fraud offences that were committed online.The ONS also now publishes experimental data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales on fraud and cyber crime incidents experienced by individuals. As part of this suite of statistics, they publish data on the proportion of incidents of fraud and computer misuse reported to the police or Action Fraud. These data can be found on the ONS website (same link as above) in the ‘Crime in England and Wales: Experimental tables’ – see Table E7.

Crime: Convictions

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) fraudulent banking transactions and (b) crimes in other categories result in a conviction.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office do not hold the information requested. Data on the number of defendants cautioned, proceeded against at magistrates' court, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for fraud and other offences are published by the Ministry of Justice. These data are available on the Gov.uk website in the “Outcome by offence” tables found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

Visas: Appeals

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of administrative review appeals for a UK visa was processed within 28 working days in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of Administrative Reviews for a UK visa processed within 28 days global is not included in published statistics.

Refugees: Children

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children have come to the UK under the Dubs amendment.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which (a) individuals and (b) teams in her Department are responsible for bringing unaccompanied children into the UK under the Dubs amendment.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of its effectiveness in implementing the Dubs amendment.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK from Europe. This included more than 750 from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance. Over 200 of those children met the published criteria for section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.The Government takes its obligations under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 extremely seriously and we have teams across Government, including policy, operational and legal teams, involved with the efforts to implement section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. We are also working closely with our European partners, whose agreement we need in order to implement the legislation.The Government has committed to transferring more eligible children to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 up to the specified number of 350, in the coming months. The basis on which further children will be transferred to the UK from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 will be published in due course.

Coastal Areas: Police

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve coastal and marine policing in the East of England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This government recognises the importance of protecting our shores, which consist of over 11,000 miles of mainland coastline. Border Force is focused on coordinating resources and the timely sharing of intelligence to deliver the right level of security. This work means that the UK has a layered approach to coastal defence, which includes on-shore resources and intelligence and surveillance capabilities. It also includes an integrated command structure, working with other government departments and near-Europe partners. Additionally Border Force and operational partners are currently conducting intelligence-led activity on a number of fronts. Building an effective intelligence picture and understanding is essential to combat both opportunistic individuals and Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) who would seek to circumvent UK border controls. Border Force has established a Maritime Information Bureau, attached to the National Maritime Information Centre to coordinate all maritime intelligence flows respectively and to inform multi-agency operational responses aimed at securing the UK border. This is supported by public facing intelligence work under the banner of Project Kraken. Kraken has helped raise awareness in local communities to the threats within maritime draw stakeholders together via an engagement strategy, and develop a more effective methodology for intelligence sharing; ensuring assets and resource can be deployed to deliver greatest effect. Finally, Border Force has purchased new capability, in the form of coastal patrol vessels (CPV). These new boats complement the work being done by Border Force’s cutter fleet and are being introduced in a phased approach over two years. The first was deployed in October last year and there will be more in service by the end of April 2017. They are smaller than the cutters and far more nimble and responsive. The CPVs’ unique capabilities, speed and size, will allow them to provide an enhanced level of responsiveness in cross-Channel, Channel Islands and Estuarine areas; releasing the cutters to complete longer-range operations around the coast. The purchase of this additional capability forms part of Border Force’s long term strategic planning which will enable it to support operations in the maritime sector. They will help Border Force to respond to a range of criminal activity both now and in the future.

Asylum

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum decisions were made in cases of applicants who were detained at the point of decision in each quarter since 1 January 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of non-settlement visa applications was processed within 15 working days in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office regularly publishes quarterly statistics on the processing of non-settlement visa applications within 15 working days (the latest of which were published on 1 December 2016).Reports covering the last 12 months can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/search?q=international+operations+transparency+data&show_organisations_filter=true

Cabinet Office

Air Pollution: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many premature deaths have been attributed to the effects of particulate air pollution in London in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ63497
(PDF Document, 68.23 KB)

Data Steering Group

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2017 to Question 59728, for what reasons the minutes of the Data Steering Group's meetings from February to September 2016 were not published until January 2017.

Ben Gummer: Two Data Steering Groups took place during the period specified by this question, in May 2016 and September 2016. Our policy is to publish the minutes of the Data Steering Group quarterly, after they have been agreed at the following meeting. The minutes of the May meeting were delayed due to internal staff changes. However the September minutes were published on time, and in line with the policy.

Department of Health

China and Pakistan: Organs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has made to the Governments of (a) Pakistan and (b) China on the trafficking of human organs from those countries; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: There has been no representation made to the Government of Pakistan. This issue was last raised at the United Kingdom/China human rights dialogue on 27 October 2016. The Government supports the establishment of lawful and ethical organ donation and transplantation programmes to address the world-wide shortage of organs for transplant and a range of action to discourage organ trafficking, transplant tourism and commercialism. The UK formally signed the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs on 25 March 2015 and has laws and protocols in place to ensure well-regulated practice to prevent organ trafficking in the UK. The Government supports the Declaration of Istanbul, which encourages all countries to draw up legal and professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities. We have also participated in the development of the World Health Organization Guiding Principles to ensure that human material removed from deceased and living donors for the purpose of transplantation only takes place according to agreed ethical principles. Patients receiving transplants outside the UK will be subject to the relevant regulatory regime in place and should be aware of the risks, including possible prosecution for non-compliance with relevant local and international provisions, poor donor care, poorer graft survival, infection and in extreme cases, death.

Ketamine

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of making ketamine available on the NHS to help tackle alcohol dependency.

Nicola Blackwood: There are no current plans to offer Ketamine as a treatment for alcohol dependency on the National Health Service.

Social Services: Hearing Impairment

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) staff in social care settings and (b) people providing care in people's own home have received bespoke British sign language and deaf awareness training in the last five years.

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaf people who have requested a British sign language interpreter at medical appointments have had their request fulfilled in the last five years.

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS has a standard procedure for booking British sign language interpreters; whether that guidance is publicised to NHS staff; and whether such staff can use it confidentially.

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many appointments have had to be postponed due to a British sign language interpreter (a) not being booked and (b) being unavailable in the last five years.

David Mowat: Information is not collected centrally on the number of fulfilled requests by patients for a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter; the number of appointments postponed where a BSL interpreter was not provided, or on the number of staff providing social care who have received bespoke BSL and deaf awareness training. The Accessible Information Standard, which was formerly known as SCCI1605 Accessible Information, was published by NHS England in July 2015. It sets out a series of requirements that organisations that provide National Health Service care or publicly funded social care in England must follow. These include arranging for support to be provided by communication professionals, including BSL interpreters, where this is needed to support effective communication. The Standard also provides direction around appropriate qualification and professional registration status of communication professionals, including BSL interpreters, as well as providing other guidance in this regard. However, the Standard does not direct how such support should be arranged or funded, as this is a matter for local decision. Compliance with the Standard is a legal duty and all organisations that provide NHS care, including general practice, or adult social care were required to implement the Standard in full by 31 July 2016, and then ensure ongoing compliance thereafter.

Brentuximab Vedotin

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma patients continue to have access to brentuximab vedotin.

Nicola Blackwood: Through its technology appraisal programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides independent, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. NICE is appraising Brentuximab for this indication and recently consulted stakeholders on its draft recommendations. Brentuximab is currently available to NHS patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Palbociclib

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that palbociclib is made available to all eligible breast cancer patients.

Nicola Blackwood: Through its technology appraisal programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides independent, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. NICE is currently appraising Palbociclib in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for treating hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in adults. NICE published its draft guidance on 3 February and stakeholders have until 24 February to comment on its draft recommendations. NICE expects to publish its final guidance in June 2017.

Mental Health Services: Northamptonshire

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was provided to mental health services in Northamptonshire in 2015-16; and how much is projected to be spent in 2016-17.

Nicola Blackwood: The following table shows the funding for mental health services in Northamptonshire in 2015 to 2016, and the projected spend for 2016 to 2017. The figures do not include any mental health spend on specialised commissioning.  2015/162016/17 Actual spend £000sActual spend £000sNHS Corby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)10,03210,961NHS Nene CCG102,899108,337 The numbers do not include specialised services.

Clinical Trials: Children

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on clinical trials involving children in the UK beginning before such trials are proven to be safe.

Nicola Blackwood: Conducting clinical trials of medicines requires prior authorisation by the competent authority (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA)) and a positive opinion from an ethics committee. Research Ethics Committees (REC) safeguard the rights, safety, dignity and well-being of research participants. They review applications for research and give an opinion about the proposed participant involvement and whether the research is ethical. In the case of clinical trials of investigational medicinal products involving children, the United Kingdom Ethics Committee Authority, in accordance with the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004, requires that, where the REC does not have a member with professional expertise in paediatric care, it should “obtain advice on the clinical, ethical and psychosocial problems in the field of paediatric care which may arise in relation to that trial”. Prior to authorisation by the MHRA, the applicant will have to show that the medicinal product has been manufactured to an acceptable quality and has been adequately tested to demonstrate how it works and what effect and benefit it is likely to have in the intended patient population. The results of tests undertaken in the laboratory, and animals as appropriate, will be provided to support the proposal that the drug can be tested in humans. While historically medicines were often only developed for adults and not adequately researched in children, since the Paediatric Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 on Medicinal Products came to force in 2007, it has been a regulatory requirement that paediatric research is an integral part of medicine development. Clinical trials of medicines for children conform to the same rigorous standards as that for adults and are only initiated after sufficient evidence is available to ensure the anticipated safety profile of any drug is acceptable. The MHRA endorses the aims of the Paediatric Regulation, and strongly supports activities to increase the availability of safe and effective medications for children through robust scientific and ethical studies.

Action on Smoking and Health: Complaints

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Shipley of 25 January 2017 to Question 43975, on Action on Smoking and Health: complaints, what information his Department holds on whether it has received any complaints about that organisation since June 2016.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2017 to Question 62473, on Action on Smoking and Health, for what reason his Department does not hold records of complaints concerning that organisation.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department does not hold a record of any complaints about Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). As ASH is a charity any complaints should be raised with the Charity Commission.